| L'acqua fa male e il vino
fa cantare |
Water hurts and wine
makes you sing |
| Il sangue non é acqua |
Blood is thicker than
water |
| Acqua passata non macina
più |
Gone water doesn't mill
anymore |
| Acqua cheta rovina i
ponti. |
Silent waters run deep |
| La goccia continua penetra
il marmo |
Drop after drop, marble
gets holey |
| Sposa bagnata, sposa
fortunate |
Rain on the day you get
married brings good luck |
| Tra il dire e il fare c'è
di mezzo il mare |
Easier said than done |
| |
Expressions
|
| Agitare le acque |
To trouble water
= To make mischief |
| Fare un buco nell'acqua |
To make a hole into the
water
= To make vain attempts |
| Lavorare sott'acqua |
To work under water
= To hide one's real intention |
| Avere l'acqua alla gola |
To have water up to the
throat
= To have few chances |
| Portare l'acqua al proprio
mulino |
To draw water to ones'
own mill
= To act for one's advantage |
| Ne è passata di acqua
sotto i ponti! |
Plenty of water ran
under bridges
= So long time passed by |
| All'acqua di rose |
Rose water like
= Something not accurately worked
out |
| Perdersi in un bicchier
d'acqua |
To lose oneself in a
glass of water
= To get easily discouraged |
| Come il diavolo e
l'acquasanta |
To be like devil and
holy water
= For people or situation absolutely contrasting |
| La goccia che fa
traboccare il vaso |
The drop that makes a
vase overflow
= Something no more unbearable |
The Italian language, as fertile as the vineyards that dot
the peninsula's countryside from north to south, is rich in short pithy sayings.
Didactic or advisory in nature, Italian proverbs are generalizations couched in
specific, often metaphorical, expressions: "Fare un buco nell'acqua". To make a
hole into the water; "Avere l'acqua alla gola". To have water up to the
throat.
Italian proverbs can be very amusing: "L'acqua fa male e il vino fa cantare" (Water
hurts and wine makes you sing); but they are often of linguistic interest
and may show lexical change.
